Theodore Roosevelt and Progressivism Heather McTaggart, Aly Go, Ellie Mamatis

Introduction In the 20 th century millions of middle-class Americans joined a new movement called PROGRESSIVNISM They sought solutions to problems caused by industrialization, the rapid growth of cities, waves of immigration, economic depression Progressives came from across the political spectrum When Roosevelt became president, the Progressive Movement got a leader who was sympathetic to its goals

Theodore Roosevelt and Progressivism Roosevelt sought a “square deal” where business would be able to make a profit through fair competition rather than the expense of labour He founded the Department of Commerce and Labour in 1903 Also persuaded the Congress to pass laws that regulated railroad rates and improved health standards Roosevelt entered Harvard in 1876, and won the election to the New York State Assembly after graduating

The Muckrakers Roosevelt made the term “muckrakers”, which describes critics who were so preoccupied with exposing wrongs in society that they ignored any positive elements They tried to rouse public anger to force governments to take action by implementing forums Leading muckraker’s in Roosevelt’s era: Frank Norris Ida Tarbell John Spargo

Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair, Muckrakers Magazines such as McClure’s and the Atlantic Monthly emerged for a liberal middle class Muckracking journalists would write articles for these magazines exposing corruptions, resulting in several reforms An expose on a meat packaging industry would result in a Federal Meat Inspection Act now that journalist had such a platform

Political Reforms Progressives began to achieve political reforms at every level of government Mayor-council systems were replaced by commission or council manager systems Robert La Follette, a Progressive advocate, would introduce several reforms, referendums and recalls while governor of Wisconsin A referendum is when a government submits a proposal to the public A recall gives voters the right to petition to have a government official stand for re-election Theodore Roosevelt would use several progressive reforms in his presidential campaign such as old age pensions, unemployment insurance, woman’s suffrage act and a ban on child labour

Reforms Benefitting Workers Immigrants would be drawn into mainstream American society through reforms to improve working conditions Since reforms affecting workers came from laws passed at state level, conservative judges would strike them down Reforms meant to limit and regulate woman’s work hours and child labour were struck down Reforms would only be achieved through tragedies such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, killing 146 women aged 13 to 23

African-Americans & the Progressive Movement This period of time erupted with race riots when tensions between blacks & whites arose In 1908, Springfield, Illinois A riot broke out where white mobs killed several blacks Destroyed black businesses, residences, & forced thousands to flee the city

The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) was a multi-racial group that met in NY in response to that incident in Illinois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a black man who was discouraged from attending Harvard because he was black, years later he eventually was admitted to the school He was the first African-American to earn his PhD

He joined the NAACP They sought to protect the constitutional rights of blacks by using the federal courts He became the leading African-American voice for civil rights as the editor for the NAACP’s journal, The Crisis

The African-American Press Used newspaper & magazine to advance the struggle for civil rights Example. Pittsburg Courier protested poor living conditions for blacks & called for better medical & education services